Public has right to photograph, record police

Cincinnati police have formally acknowledged that members of the public have the right to
photograph and record officers as they go about their jobs on city streets.

The Queen City agreed to pay $40,000 to a “citizen journalist,” who was arrested and whose
camera was seized, to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the man, according to a
story in The Cincinnati Enquirer.

City police also agreed to adopt a policy instructing officers not to interfere with street
photographers and to not seize their cameras or delete images or recordings.

The Columbus Division of Police has no policy, but officers are trained that they are not to
prevent members of the public from photographing or recording them or their activities, said Sgt.
Rich Weiner, spokesman for the force.

People have a general legal right to photograph or record any person or activity that can be
viewed from public property or anywhere else they have a legal right to be.

Still, members of the public – and the news media – have no right of access to crime scenes
(even on a public street) or inside areas cordoned off by police to safeguard the public.

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